Crews on scene of gas-line fire in Shrewsbury

The Fire Department is on the scene of a gas-line break and fire on Colonial Drive. The incident involved construction equipment.

There were no initial reports of injuries and no buildings are involved.

Flames were reported to have shot 30 feet in the air.

The incident happened shortly after 1 p.m.

Residents in the area said they heard a series of “booms” when the explosion occurred, causing some to leave their homes.

The explosion engulfed an excavator working on the site, causing its gas tank and tires to explode.

Colonial Drive is a long street that runs off Route 140 and is parallel to Interstate 290. It is a heavily populated residential area, and the only exit and entrance from the neighborhood is off Route 140.

Bob Ryan, who lives at 8 Colonial Drive, was among the neighbors who saw the flames.

“The flames were shooting a good 30 feet in the air,” Mr. Ryan said. “I was in the house and was going to make a phone call and the line went dead because there was this big ball of fire that torched the wires."

Mr. Ryan said NStar crews had been at the site earlier, working on a problem that was reported on Christmas Eve, and had returned to the scene to continue that work today.

Immediately after the explosion, police began to evacuate homes that were within 500 feet the explosion, but crews were able to shut the gas off within 15 minutes.

Residents were not allowed to leave the neighborhood because they would have had to go past the flaming gas main, according to resident Vanessa Parks.

Local fire officials, Shrewsbury Electric Company officials, and gas company representatives are on scene.